MAINE - Life in the Slow Lane
Sounds like you had a pretty good time Bill even though you didn't catch any fish. Was the water high ? Any snow left at all ? What about the water temps ?
Dave V
Bill
Glad you made the trip. It is a very special place and pretty to boot. Did you see any fish, with the water as clear as it is it is easy to see fish if they are there. Did you try the hatchery pool, right at the end of the hatchery?? You may find a trip back in the fall will be better for you. Was the flow down, seems like they have shut the flow down a lot?? The fish there are great when you hook one, most go around two pounds or more.
Again good to hear you ade the trip and you like the place.
Lee
Dave, Lee, The water temp was COLD, didn't have a thermometer, as for the flow I have nothing to compare it to as it was my first time there. Just judging by the river banks it gets alot higher but still had a pretty good flow seemed like medium to me, that's just my guess. There was a little bit of snow left in the woods but none left out in the open. I didn't see any fish or any jump or any activity other than the few small fly's that came out in the afternoon. However it doen't take a rocket scientist to figure out that it's a good spot, just the run isn't in full swing yet. I might run down there some Saturday in May as it's really just a nice weeked drive on the back roads of Maine with very little traffic and easy to find. I didn't try the hatchery pool but I did hear of a couple of fish being caught there on Saturday. I fished at the Dam pool until 1 PM then I wanted to try the bathtub as I heard other anglers talking about it on FFIM. It sure does look like a nice pool although not a big as I had it envisioned. Everyone was very friendly and it seems like a nice little town. When I lived in Ontario there was a lake that I had on my "places to fish" list that I didn't make it to, so it's still on the the list. Not sure if you've heard of it, Lake Temagami, a huge lake in Northern Ontario with multiple arms that are hundreds of miles long, OK I'm exagerating a bit but it's one whopper of a lake. It has Walleye, Lake Trout and Northern Pike. Anyway there is a saying about Lake Temagami, that it's a three year plan, the first year you find the lake, the second year you find the fish and the third year you figure out how to catch them. Hopefully it won't take me that long with GLS but I don't give up easy.
Bill
Hey Bill thanks for the update. Sounds to me like the water temps were still down for a good hatch. I'm sure once the water warms up so will the fishing .
Dave V
Bill if you plan on driving down there in May be prepared for lots of people. It gets really busy.
Can't be any worse than Quarryville where you have to wait in line for 45 mins just to fish the rotation that takes about an hour.
Bill
Now thats patience, Hey Bill any tempers flare while waiting?
Dave, I've learned far more standing on the shore talking to other anglers that have fished the Miramichi their whole life than I ever have out there flailing away myself. As for tempers, usually not, most people are polite. There are always a few A#$%^ around but they're few and far between. Salmon fishing for me is a team sport, after all it sure is nice to have another angler to tail that 20lber before she screams off again to test the abraison resistance of your leader on a piece of jagged granite. With their aerial acrobatics they usually put on a good show so it's always nice to have a buddy to take lots of pictures or video. Sault Ste Marie was crowded fishing as well and everybody got along well. I find that a little extra respect goes a long way, ie suggesting that another angler go in the rotation ahead of you or fish through the pool first. Automatically you'll have a friend when you do that.
B
My experience with Native New Brunswick people is great, they are some of the nicest people I know. After fishing up there for 5 years its sure is nice to say I know some of them.
Lee
Drove down to GLS from Harvey, takes about 1.5 hours. Got my lic at the Pine Tree Store where the lady there took the time to explain the river and it's various pools. She even gave me a map and directions. I started fishing at the Dam pool, spoke to some other anglers there and exchanged fly's with one guy, who I could tell by his hat was a Vietnam Veteran. One white bearded middle aged fellow ask me what he should use for a fly and I replied " hell I don't know, it's my first time here ask the other fellow" who by the way he spoke had fished here quite frequently. So I tried the Dam pool for about 2 hours, nobody caught anything while I was there. I proceeded down stream and was very impressed with the nice parking area with signs indicating that it was "Parking for Anglers and Boaters", my kind of town. I walked to Little Falls and fished at the Bath Tub pool and walked some of the trails further down stream but didn't find any other pools. By then it was the afternoon and some small mayflies were starting to appear. Fishing was very slow as I didn't see anyone else hook any fish, but it was such a nice day on the river we were all just too stubborn to go home. So a few of us ended up sitting at the picnic table just above the falls and chatting. One gentleman said that he saw one angler catch two salmon near the hatchery earlier in the day, that was the only fish that I heard of being caught. Apparently as soon as the ice goes out there is a big run of suckers and the salmon will follow them up to eat their eggs I presume. I'd like to go back and take my boat, stay a night or two and try the lakes as there is a very nice launch right above the dam. It seems to me that the town revolves around fishing, everyone has a sign at the end of their driveway that is a cutout of a grandlaker canoe and motor with their name on it. The clarity of the water and the ligher colored bottom substrate reminded me of the Upsalquitch, but just on a smaller scale. I saw enough to figure out that I ought to try the place again perhaps in May.
Bill G.